Mumbai - Pune - Kolhapur - Goa : Route Queries

This is a discussion on Mumbai - Pune - Kolhapur - Goa : Route Queries within Route / Travel Queries, part of the Travelogues category; Originally Posted by godeepdive
@ranjit. Thanks. I guess I will go for the Sankeshwar route. I am heading for Ernakulam. ...

As Ranjit has suggested route via Nippani-Uttur-Ajra is better. Travelled 2 weeks back and had taken the same route from Pune to goa. Top surface layering is completed for most of the part and its still in progress at amboli ghat its still in progress. This route is having more twisties and fun to drive.

Am new to this forum and also to long distance driving.
This query is about the route to take from Pune to Goa. I don't mind driving extra distance but would prefer better roads and less heavy traffic.

Having read all the threads, I believe the choice is between the below two routes.

I am planning this trip on 30th April. Would like to know if anyone has any recent updates on the road conditions and can help me finalise the route to take..)

Hi
I will add one more to these. Pune - belgaum (right turn) - Amboli - Sawantwadi. Since this is the road from belgaum to Vengurla it's wider that the other two all the way. More fun to drive on, longer distance but better speeds and no slowing down to allow a truck/bus to pass you and drive you on to the shouler like on the tawande - ajra route.
Cheers

Hi
I will add one more to these. Pune - belgaum (right turn) - Amboli - Sawantwadi. Since this is the road from belgaum to Vengurla it's wider that the other two all the way. More fun to drive on, longer distance but better speeds and no slowing down to allow a truck/bus to pass you and drive you on to the shouler like on the tawande - ajra route.
Cheers

@deutscheafrikar - isn't the route via Belgaum supposed to have lots of mining trucks ? And I also read in these posts that the condition of the road deteriorates very fast due to the truck movement. Are you referring to the same route or is there another route for people who take the belgaum option.

@deutscheafrikar - isn't the route via Belgaum supposed to have lots of mining trucks ? And I also read in these posts that the condition of the road deteriorates very fast due to the truck movement. Are you referring to the same route or is there another route for people who take the belgaum option.

No what DF is referring to is a different route,the mining truck route is NH4A which run via Belgaum-Khanapur-Londa-Mollem National Park-Ponda-Panjim.At the moment this route is also pretty good,and is very scenic to drive.

The route which DF is referring to is to come to Amboli from Belgaum.The route would be Belgaum-Amboli-Sawantwadi-NH17-North Goa-Panjim.

No what DF is referring to is a different route,the mining truck route is NH4A which run via Belgaum-Khanapur-Londa-Mollem National Park-Ponda-Panjim.At the moment this route is also pretty good,and is very scenic to drive.

The route which DF is referring to is to come to Amboli from Belgaum.The route would be Belgaum-Amboli-Sawantwadi-NH17-North Goa-Panjim.

Thanks ranjit and DF. Since I am travelling with a 1 year old and also since this is my first drive on this route as well as my first long drive, I prefer to take the most hassle free route - even if it means extra kilometers. Good wide roads are preferred over narrow scenic ones. So now I have three options. Based on my parameters defined above, which one should I stick to. Can someone also tell me how manys hours should I consider for each of the above from Kolhapur onwards.

I recommend the Belgaum-Khanapur-Anmod-Ponda route. I drove this route in January and February, on the second trip I found almost all the potholes I saw in January had been filled. There is only one bad patch remaining at the railway crossing near Londa / Ramnagar, but that's less than half a kilometer.

I do Belgaum-Madgaon in about 3 hours, Panjim would take maybe 15-20 minutes more. The Anmod ghat section has a good surface and is less steep than Amboli ghat. Mining trucks don't ply on Sundays and the road is quite empty, but if you do have to drive on a weekday you can stil get ahead. See post #277 in this thread.

I recommend the Belgaum-Khanapur-Anmod-Ponda route. I drove this route in January and February, on the second trip I found almost all the potholes I saw in January had been filled. There is only one bad patch remaining at the railway crossing near Londa / Ramnagar, but that's less than half a kilometer.

db

Thanks DB, Ranjit. My destination in Goa is Varca Beach. Therefore going via Belgaum-Ponda makes sense. My trip is on the 1st of May which is a Sunday. Going by the latest posts I saw about this route, I am now inclined to take the Belgaum-Khanapur-Anmod-Ponda. If anyone has any view/comment on that would be happy to hear.

Came back last week from Calangute Goa.
It was the first time I took the 320d on a long drive.
Whilte going I took the regular Panvel - Goa highway. Left at 4.30 from New Bombay. Reached Goa at 12 midnight. The roads were quite good. But it does get bad for about 20 odd kms before the Goa border.
There wasn't much traffic on this road may be since I left in the evening.

While coming back I took the Nandgoan - Talere Naka - Gaganbawda - kolhapur - satara - pune road.
Gaganbawda ghat was steep but the roads were excellent. Once you start entering Kolhapur the roads get bumpy all the way till you touch the NH4.
Time taken to reach bombay was 10 hours. May be coz I got stuck at one of the tolls as it started pouring plus the traffic got a bit thicker once crossed Satara.

Overall I would say I would suggest the regular mumbai - goa highway ( NH17 ) if one is travelling to North goa. The Gaganbawda road was a longer route by 85 odd kms.

Thanks DB, Ranjit. My destination in Goa is Varca Beach. Therefore going via Belgaum-Ponda makes sense. My trip is on the 1st of May which is a Sunday. Going by the latest posts I saw about this route, I am now inclined to take the Belgaum-Khanapur-Anmod-Ponda. If anyone has any view/comment on that would be happy to hear.

Yes, for destination Varca that's the best route. Two short notes that may help:

-- The Ponda bypass to reach the Ponda-Madgaon road from NH4A has a bad surface. At almost any time, and even more so on a Sunday afternoon, it's a better option to go 300 m ahead and take the left off NH4A at a Y-junction. This road will take you through Ponda town onto NH17B near Talaulim.

-- As you approach Madgaon from Ponda, you will come to a traffic circle. You have an option of two routes from there. The first is a better choice when city traffic is heavy but the second is more direct and not a problem on a Sunday afternoon.

1) Take the road on the left -- Madgaon bypass -- and continue on that road past 3 traffic circles (Gogol / housing Board / Power House) for about 2.5-3 km. At the 4th circle after the bridge across the railway tracks, turn right and continue past Madgaon Railway station, under the NH-17 bridge (aka market bridge / flyover) and follow the road, taking the left branch at any Y-junction till you reach the Colva-Varca-Orlim road (shown as 'Colva Road' in Google Earth).

OR

2) Continue straight at the circle, take a right at the next circle (T-junction) after you pass the stadium, then at the third circle continue straight across NH17 onto Madgaon-Colva road. After about 3.5 km, turn left onto Colva-Varca-Orlim road.

There's yet another route, which avoids Ponda. It's narrower but free of traffic: turn left at Mollem and drive via Kulem (kick-off point for Dudhsagar!) - Chandor - Chinchinim - Orlim -Varca. May be a bit complicated unless you have a GPS navigator though.

Yes, for destination Varca that's the best route. Two short notes that may help:

db

Thanks DB for that info. Few questions.
When coming from Belgaum, from Khanapur, does one take NH 4A via Ramnagar for Anmod or does one get off 4A and take the direct road to Anmod (I see one on google map) ?
How is the condition of Mollem -Kulem - Chandor - Chinchinim - Orlim -Varca Route?

Thanks DB for that info. Few questions.
When coming from Belgaum, from Khanapur, does one take NH 4A via Ramnagar for Anmod or does one get off 4A and take the direct road to Anmod (I see one on google map) ?
How is the condition of Mollem -Kulem - Chandor - Chinchinim - Orlim -Varca Route?

Coming from Belgaum,you enter NH4A and keep on NH4A all the way till Panjim.The direct road is almost non-existent.

Thanks DB for that info. Few questions.
When coming from Belgaum, from Khanapur, does one take NH 4A via Ramnagar for Anmod or does one get off 4A and take the direct road to Anmod (I see one on google map) ?
How is the condition of Mollem -Kulem - Chandor - Chinchinim - Orlim -Varca Route?

First, the Khanapur Anmod shortcut isn't exactly where Google Maps/Earth places it. See Post #277 in this thread and the attached kml file. I drove that road on the 9th of this month -- parts of the worst patch had been 'repaired' with fine stone chips -- absolutely no tar or any kind of binder. The result was quite a bit of slipping and sliding and the belly of the car touching down on the loose road metal which had got heaped up in the center due to vehicle movement. Definitely not recommended for someone who prefers wider roads with more traffic, but it is 10-15 minutes faster than the Khanapur-Ramnagar-Anmod NH4a route for me. @ranjitp1, I certainly wouldn't call the road 'almost non-existent' ... when did you last drive on that route?

Mollem-Kulem-Chandor is a fairly decent surface, one stretch of half to one kilometer has several speed bumps. I haven't driven all parts of the Chandor-Chinchinim route lately, but those I have moved on were in good condition. Chinchinim-Orlem-Varca is a good road.

Once again I stress that without a GPS navigator, you're better off sticking with NH4A-Ponda-Madgaon-Colva-Varca. There are road junctions in uninhabited places between Kulem and Chandor where you may not even find anyone to ask the way. Also, except on Sundays, that route too carries its share of mining trucks, and unlike NH4a, doesn't have enough width to easily advance up the wrong side of the road.

Wish you luck with your driving and send me a PM if you'd like to get in touch while in Goa!